Spanning Time: Revisiting the Aesthetics of the Northern Song Dynasty through Contemporary Chinese Photography

“Spanning Time: Revisiting the Aesthetics of the Northern Song Dynasty through Contemporary Chinese Photography,” a group exhibition at the University Museum and Art Gallery (UMAG), features three artists from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing: Yao Lu, Wang Chuan and Miao Xiaochun. Together they pay homage to the aesthetics of Northern Song dynasty (960–1127) in China through photographs that draw inspiration from the compositional and literary traditions of the past.

The literati landscape painting is considered one of the highest art forms in Chinese tradition, associated with poetry and calligraphy. The natural motifs of mountains and rivers in ink washes demonstrate literati self-cultivation while providing context for scholarly contemplation. When viewed from afar, Yao Lu’s works from his “Concealment and Restructuring–New Mountain and Water” series (2006–14) resemble conventional literati paintings, which are traditionally circular, fan-shaped or scroll-like. A fan-shaped artwork entitled Early Spring on Lake Dong Ting (2008) depicts blue-green-tinged “mountains.” Upon closer examination, the viewer finds that Lu’s “painting” is in fact a digital photo-montage of green construction meshes covering soil used for reclamation, taken in real-life situations in China. A layer of mist hovers over the murky water that divides the foreground and the background. Several figures gather around a leafless tree planted on the green fabric on the ground, while a lone lighthouse stands atop a chunk of bulging soil. Red Chinese seals adorn the work, mimicking the look of classical Chinese paintings.

Similarly, in Yao Lu’s other photograph entitled Wine Boat On Pine Creek (2012), smog and fumes surround the lofty mountains in the background. A figure sits in a hut in front of a banner depicting a large-scale Chinese character for the word “demolish,” while another figure is seen hurling garbage. Contrasting the turquoise mesh draped over the mountains, gray smoke emits from an industrial chimney, which clearly articulates the exploitation of natural resources for the sake of urban development, making such environmental consequences an alarming reality.

Other motifs explored in the exhibition include the dragon, a ubiquitous symbol in China, which appears in different representations in many places within the country. In Wang Chuan’s “Re.Focus: Dragon” series (2010–11), the artist takes photographs of dragon imagery found in various regions of the country. By intentionally pixelating specific parts of the image, Wang draws attention to overlooked areas and questions how the mythical connotations of the symbol inhabit the contemporary setting. The self-reflexivity of the photographer is evident, as he deliberately uses the lens to select the desired focus, meanwhile experimenting with the potential of pixels in digital photography. In Re.Focus: Dragon20 (2011), an actor dressed in a Chinese emperor costume stands on an outdoor stage set decorated with an excess of dragon symbols. The mise-en-scène exudes an awkward sentiment, as the actor seems out of place when juxtaposed against the passersby in modern clothing. Wang deliberately blurs certain parts of the photo with pixels, while some parts remain clear in focus. Such contrast allows viewers to reflect on where the focus should be put in reading such photographs. Other photographs include those of billboards around China and dragon-shaped decorations on the exterior of buildings.

MIAOXIAOCHUN, still from Disillusion, 2009–11, video: 10 min 9 sec. Courtesy University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong.

Other than works by Yao Lu and Wang Chuan, on the curved red walls of the exhibition space there are two video animations by media artist and photographer Miao Xiaochun. In Miao’s Disillusion (2009–10), three-dimensional animated figures made of soap bubbles interact with each other. The metaphor of the soap bubbles bursting reminds one of the fragility of human lives. It seems to posit that however ephemeral man’s life is, he is still capable of being destructive. Miao further utilizes digital technology to create virtual universes while embedding historical references of Eastern and Western traditions. The fragmented narratives and disintegrating figures in his animations explore the notion of spirituality and human civilization in a Kafkaesque manner.

Through photos and videos, each artist reveals the social landscape of contemporary China and the aesthetic relationship between contemporary art and traditional Chinese culture. The interplay between the artistic vocabulary of the ancient and modern reveals much about the rapid transformations across time, as witnessed through the lens of the three artists.

“Spanning Time: Revisiting the Aesthetics of the Northern Song Dynasty through Contemporary Chinese Photography” is on view at the University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, until September 4, 2016